Combination chair and support for musical instruments



y 1965 H. J. WENGER 3,193,325

COMBINATION CHAIR AND SUPPORT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed July 5, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR HARRYJWE/VGER 14 rramysys y 1965 H. J. WENGER 3,193,325

COMBINATION CHAIR AND.SUPPORT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed July 5, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR HARR Y JIM/V6512 ATTORNEYS July 6, 1965 H. J. WENGER 3,193,325

COMBINATION CHAIR AND SUPPORT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed July 5; 1963 s Shegts-Sheet a i "a T //5 Mal/2 (Q I:

IN VENTOR. I I HARRYJM ENGER 1 16.10 l/mwwtw A T TORNEYJ' United States Patent 3,193,325 COMBINATION CHAIR AND SUPPORT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Harry J. Wenger, Owatonna, Minn. Filed July 5, 1963, Ser. No. 293,053 2 Claims. (Cl. 297-186) The present invention relates particularly to a combination chair and support for a musical instrument such as a sousaphone.

A variety of devices have been proposed for supporting musical instruments. One device of this type is illustrated in my prior Patent No. 2,575,540, dated November 20, 1951. The combination chair and sousaphone support described in my prior patent, although suitable for most situations, does have certain drawbacks. Thus, in public schools for example, where a single sousaphone is often played by six or eight different students during a weeks time, my prior apparatus was found to some extent ineffective in accommodating students of different sizes with equal comfort. Moreover, with my prior device it was impossible for a student to rest his back. As a result, some students would tend to become fatigued during the performance of a musical composition. It has also been found impossible in some prior devices of the type described to easily change the position of the mouthpiece of the sousaphone.

In other instrument supports, the position of the instrument cannot be changed quickly and easily during use and as a result it has been found difiicult for the musician playing the instrument to change his own position from time to time during a performance and thereby remain comfortable over an extended period of time.

In view of these and other defects of the prior art it is one object of the present invention to provide an improved chair and support for a musical instrument such as a sousaphone including a provision for supporting the back of the person seated which will not interfere with the coils of the instrument which extend around the back of the user.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved device of the character described including a means for enabling the instrument supported thereon to be moved forwardly or rearwardly so that the users back can be reliably supported regardless of his size or physique.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a combination chair and sousaphone support including a means for enabling the position of the instrument to be easily changed during use so that the user can occasionally change his own position and thus remain comfortable throughout a performance.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of a combination chair and support for sousaphones including a pair of longitudinally spaced supporting yokes and a single adjustment means for moving both yokes along a horizontal axis extending from the front to the rear of the chair.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a combination chair and support for sousaphones including a means for moving the bell of the sousaphone either forwardly or rearwardly so as to pivot the instrument about a transverse axis.

It is yet another object of the present inventionto provide an improved combination chair and support for sousaphones which is rugged in construction, reliable in operation and can be manufactured at a relatively low cost.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, this invention then comprises the features herein- 3,193,325 Patented July 6, 1965 "ice after fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which the same numerals refer to corresponding parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a chair ac cording to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the chair of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the chair as seen from the opposite side shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a partial horizontal sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 7 is a partial vertical sectional view taken on the line 77 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a partial enlarged vertical sectional view taken through the bell support;

FIGURE 9 is a partial plan view of the bell support;

FIGURE 10 is a vertical sectional view of another form of selectively adjustable fastening means according to the present invention; and

FIGURE 11 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 11--11 of FIGURE 10.

Briefly stated, in accordance with the preferred form of the present invention there is provided a combined chair and support for a sousaphone including a chair base and a chair seat at the upper end of the base. A pair of longitudinally spaced yoke members are mounted upon the base and positioned upwardly and laterally of the chair seat. Another yoke which functions as a bell rest member is provided on the opposite side of the chair from the yoke members and a back rest member is secured to the chair seat. All of the yoke members are selectively movable along both longitudinal and vertical axes.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the following description of a preferred form of the invention and to the accompanying drawings wherein the same numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views.

Referring now particularly to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 there is shown a combination chair and support for a musical instrument such as a sousaphone indicated generally at 10. The chair 10 includes a base 12 composed of a vertically disposed post 14 formed from metal tubing and having four downwardly and then outwardly extending supporting legs 16 secured in any convenient way to the lower end thereof. At the outer end of each of the legs 16 is provided an end piece 18 adapted to rest against the floor.

Extending laterally and rearwardly from the upper end of the tube 12 are a pair of horizontally disposed support bars designated 20 and 22. The support bars 20 and 22 are rigidly connected to post 14 in any suitable manher as by welding and are used for holding the instrument supporting members as described fully hereinbelow.

Secured to the upward end of the base 12 is a chair seat 24 which is formed from a horizontally disposed and slightly concave rectangular plate composed of a suitable material such as plastic or wood. The seat 24 is rigidly secured to post 14 in any suitable manner as by means of a member 26 which projects into post 14 at 28 (FIGURE 1).

Rigidly'secured to the lower surface of the seat 24 in any suitable manner as by welding are a pair of laterally 3 spaced and generally parallel rearwardly and then up wardly extending support members 30 and 32. Rigidly affixed to the upward ends of the members 30 and 32 is a back rest 34 formed from a suitable rigid material such as plastic or Wood. The back rest 34 is preferably concave on its forward surface. The back rest 34 is positioned as low as necessary to clear the coils of the sousaphone which extends around the back of the user.

Suitably secured to the rearward end of the support bar 20 is a selectively operable and releasable fastener means such as a manuallly adjustable clamp 36 composed of clamping member 38 formed from flexible sheet material having a generally U-shaped configuration in horizontal section and including forwardly extending legs 38a and 38b. A hand wheel 40 is rotatably mounted within the leg 38a and threaded within the leg 3812. Thus, when the wheel 40 is turned, the legs 38a and 381) will either be separated from each other or brought toward each other as required. Positioned vertically within the clamp 36 is an elongated support member 42 formed from square tubing and having a vertically disposed lower portion 42a and a horizontally and forwardly extending upper portion 42b. During use, the portion 42b of the support member 42 is positioned somewhat above the seat 24 and laterally thereof as clearly shown in FIG- URES 1 and 2.

At the forward end of portion 42b of support member 42 is a bracket 44 best seen in FIGURES 1, 2, 4 and 5. Bracket 44 is generally U-shaped in transverse section and includes a pair of parallel legs 44a and 4417. Near the lower end of the leg 44b is a shoulder 44d terminating in a centrally directed portion 440 and a downwardly directed tab 44c. As best seen in FIGURES 4 and 5, the horizontally disposed portion 42b of support 42 extends between the legs 44a and 44b and above the shoulder portion 44d.

The bracket 44 also includes a hand wheel 46 having an extension 48 which is rotatably mounted within an opening 50 in leg 44a and threaded within a nut 52 abutting against the outer surface of the tab 44c. When it is desired to move the bracket 44 longitudinally of the support member 42, hand Wheel 46 should be turned so as to separate the legs 44a and 44b until the bracket 44 will slide freely on the portion 42b of the support member 42. When the desired position has been reached; the hand wheel 46 can be tightened. The hand wheel and clamp thus act as a means for releasably locking the bracket 44 in selected positions on member 42.

Within the upper end of the bracket 44 is a slide block 54 having a cylindrical vertically disposed opening 56 therein. Within the opening 56 is provided the lower end of a bolt 58 to which is secured a nut 60. The bolt 58 projects through an opening 62 in a longitudinally extending support arm 64. A washer 66 is positioned between the arm 64 and the bracket 44. The arm 64 includes a forward portion 66 and a rearward portion 68 both of which are inclined upwardly as best seen in FIGURES 2 and 3. The tension of nut 60 on the bolt 58 is adjusted so that the arm 64 can be pivoted about bolt 58 during use as required by the user of the apparatus. Once positioned, the arm 64 will remain frictionally engaged in the selected position due to the tension exerted by bolt 58. The bolt thus acts as a tension means for frictionally maintaining arm 64 in selected positions.

For most purposes, it is important that the tension of bolt 58 be relatively tight so as, for example, to prevent accidental pivotal movement of arm 64 when the user lowers his head and swings the upper end of the instrument laterally as he moves away from the instrument to take a standing position.

At the forward and rearward end of the arm 64 are provided support yokes 70 and 72. Each of the yokes 70 and 72 has a U-shaped configuration and each is mounted with the concave side thereof directed upwardly. The yokes 70 and 72 are held in place by means of bolts 74 and 76 and each yoke is preferably covered with a relatively soft and resilient material such as neoprene rubber or plastic. This covering material can be applied in various ways as by dipping or gluing or it can be secured in placed by suitable mechanical fasteners (not shown).

At the rearward end of the arm 22 is a clamp 80 having a generally U-shaped vertical cross-sectional configuration and including forwardly extending legs 82 and 8-4. The leg 82 includes a shoulder 88 terminating in a centrally positioned tab 86. Connected between the tab 86 and the leg 84 is the shaft 90 of a hand Wheel 92. Shaft 90 of hand wheel 92 projects through an opening 94 in the leg 84 and through a similar opening 96 in the tab 86. Upon the inward end of the shaft 90 is threaded a nut 98.

Extending vertically through the clamp 80 is a support member 100 having a square cross-section as best seen in FIGURE 6. When it is desired to elevate the support member 100, the hand wheel 92 is turned allowing the tab 86 and leg 84 to separate until the member 100 has been loosened. When member 100 has been moved to the selected position, wheel 92 can again be tightened.

At the upward end of the support member 100 is a forwardly extending portion 100a upon which is slidably mounted a bracket 102. Bracket 102 includes a pair of laterally spaced and parallel legs 104 and 106. At the lower end of the leg 104 is a centrally displaced shoulder 108 provided with a downwardly extending tab 110. A hand wheel 112 is connected between the tab and leg 106 for tightening or loosening the clamp 102 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the clamp 44. Pivotally secured to the clamp 192 for rotation about a vertical axis upon a vertically disposed bolt 113 is an arcuate yoke or hell support 114 including a concave surface directed centrally of the chair as best seen in FIGURES 1 and 2. To this end, I provide a bracket 115 including a horizontally disposed upper portion rotatably mounted upon bolt 113 and a downwardly directed portion to which the yoke 114 is secured by means of a bolt 117. The tension of both bolts 113 and 117 is adjusted to allow pivotal movement between the connected members and yet provide sufficient friction to retain the members 115 and 114 in selected positions. Through these provisions, the invention will accommodate instruments of different dimensions with equal ease and will permit the user to shift his position from time to time if required.

When the chair according to the present invention is used, the player is seated upon the chair with the sousaphone encircling his body in the usual manner. With the hand wheel 46 loosened, the arm 64 is slid either forwardly or rearwardly on the support 42 until the players back is positioned comfortably against the back rest 34. The wheel 46 should then be tightened so that the bracket 44 will be rigidly positioned on the support 42. It will thus be understood that even though the players body projects through the central opening in the sousaphone, and regardless of his physical size, the support yokes 70 and 72 can be positioned as required to enable the players back to be comfortably supported.

The mouthpiece of the sousaphone can then be positioned by loosening the bracket 38 and changing the vertical position of the support member 42. The hand wheel 40 can then be tightened to secure the support 42 firmly in place.

Next, the position of the bell support 114 is determined. a

late the vertical position of the support 100 so as to support the instrument most effectively.

Referring now to FIGURES l0 and 11 which show a modified form of a selectively adjustable fastener which can be employed in place of any of the adjustable fasteners throughout the invention but which for brevity has been illustrated only in connection with the bracket 44. In the adjustable fastener of FIGURES and 11, the bracket 44 has been bored at its center as seen in longitudinal section as has the slide block 54. The bracket 44 and slide block 54 are otherwise identical with those of FIGURES 4 and 5. As can be clearly seen in FIGURES 10 and 11, the threaded portion 48 of hand Wheel 46 is screwed into a threaded opening 51 within a retaining member 52. The member 52 is provided with a laterally extending boss 55 which fits loosely into an opening 57 provided in the tab 44. As seen in FIGURE 11, the member 52 is elongated when seen from the side a suflicient distance so that the ends thereof will engage the portion 440 when the wheel 46 is turned thereby preventing undesired rotation of member 52. Since the boss 55 prevents contact between the extension 48 and the tab 44:2, the wheel 46 will always be easy to turn and extension 48 will be prevented from binding Within opening 57. The member 52 is reliably prevented from accidental removal by securing a snap ring 53 to the free end of extension 48.

From the above description it should be apparent that when the instrument is being played either during rehearsal or in the performance of a concert, the players back will be supported comfortably against the rest 34 but at the same time the instrument can be pivoted on a vertically disposed axis by turning the support arm 64 about the axis of the bolt 58. In this way, the position of the mouthpiece can be changed so as to allow the player to change his own position occasionally and thus remain comfortable during the entire performance.

It is apparent that many modifications and variations of the invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The specific embodiments described are given by way of eX- ample only and the invention is limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of a chair and a support for a musical instrument such as a sousaphone comprising in combination, a supporting base, a seat portion mounted upon said base, a chair back rest supported upon said chair seat, first and second support members mounted upon said base, a first and second clamp member mounted at the rearward end of said first and second support members respectively, first and second upwardly and then forwardly extending elongated support elements releasably mounted Within said first and second clamp members respectively for sliding movement upon a vertical axis, a yoke support bracket mounted upon the forwardly extending portion of each of said elements for sliding movement thereon upon an axis extending from the front to the rear of said chair, selectively operable fastener means for releasably securing said yoke support brackets to said support elements, one of said brackets being mounted relatively close to said chair seat and the other said bracket being mounted at a substantial distance above said chair seat; an arm pivotally secured intermediate its ends to said bracket mounted relatively close to said chair to pivot about a vertical axis, a yoke secured to each end of said arm, said yokes being aligned longitudinally of said arm and disposed at unlike angles relative to the horizontal, and a single yoke secured to said bracket mounted a substantial distance above said chair seat; said single yoke disposed generally at right angles to the yokes on said arm; said single yoke being pivotable about a vertical axis relative to its bracket.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said selectively operable fasteners include a generally U-shaped bracket having parallel leg portions, an operating member adapted to be grasped manually mounted for rotation upon one of said leg portions and having a threaded portion, a fastener including a boss threaded upon the threaded portion of the operating member and said boss extending through the other of said leg portions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 336,220 2/86 Farrar 297-242 546,019 9/95 Logan 248-287 X 1,115,794 11/14 Eriksen 5-92 1,340,014 5/20 Clafin 248-305 1,941,907 1/34 Martin 297-240 2,028,979 1/ 36 Hintz 248-118 2,575,540 11/51 Wenger 297-186 2,614,558 10/52 Lovell 248-118 X FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

1. THE COMBINATION OF A CHAIR AND A SUPPORT FOR A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT SUCH AS A SOUSAPHONE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A SUPPORTING BASE, A SEAT PORTION MOUNTED UPON SAID BASE, A CHAIR BACK REST SUPPORTED UPON SAID CHAIR SEAT, FIRST AND SECOND SUPPORT MEMBERS MOUNTED UPON SAID BASE, A FIRST AND SECOND CLAMP MEMBER MOUNTED AT THE REARWARD END OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND SUPPORT MEMBERS RESPECTIVELY, FIRST AND SECOND UPWARDLY AND THEN FORWARDLY EXTENDING ELONGATED SUPPORT ELEMENTS RELEASABLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID FIRST AND SECOND CLAMP MEMBERS RESPECTIVELY FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT UPON A VERTICAL AXIS, A YOKE SUPPORT BRACKET MOUNTED UPON THE FORWARDLY EXTENDING PORTION OF EACH OF SAID ELEMENTS FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT THEREON UPON AN AXIS EXTENDING FROM THE FRONT TO THE REAR OF SAID CHAIR, SELECTIVELY OPERABLE FASTENER MEANS FOR RELEASABLY SECURING SAID YOKE SUPPORT BRACKETS TO SAID SUPPORT ELEMENTS, ONE OF SAID BRACKETS BEING MOUNTED RELATIVELY CLOSE TO SAID CHAIR SEAT AND THE OTHER SAID BRACKET BEING MOUNTED AT A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE ABOVE SAID CHAIR SEAT; AN ARM PIVOTALLY SECURED INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS TO SAID BRACKET MOUNTED RELATIVELY CLOSE TO SAID CHAIR TO PIVOT ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS, A YOKE SECURED TO EACH END OF SAID ARM, SAID YOKES BEING ALIGNED LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID ARM AND DISPOSED AT UNLIKE ANGLES RELATIVE TO THE HORIZONTAL, AND A SINGLE YOKE SECURED TO SAID BRACKET MOUNTED A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE ABOVE SAID CHAIR SEAT; SAID SINGLE YOKE DISPOSED GENERALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE YOKES ON SAID ARM; SAID SINGLE YOKE BEING PIVOTABLE ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS RELATIVE TO ITS BRACKET. 